Tampering of industrial devices, particularly in the electronics industry, represents an ongoing challenge for manufacturers. As used herein, the terms “tamper,” “tampering,” and grammatical equivalents thereof will refer to any unauthorized use, access or investigation of a device, whether malicious or not. At a minimum, tampering can sometimes result in the improper operation of or damage to a device. In other cases, a device can be modified in a manner that makes the device operate in a way that is inconsistent with that which its manufacturer intended. Imparting tamper resistance to a device can also lessen the likelihood that unauthorized personnel can perform maintenance on the device. An even more significant concern for manufacturers is the unwanted evaluation of a device and its components for reverse engineering or other malicious purposes. In such cases, a manufacturer may wish to mask the true operational characteristics of a device in order to prevent loss of valuable corporate knowledge. It is generally not necessary that an anti-tampering system alert the observer that an anti-tampering system is in place.
Although a variety of systems to prevent tampering have been implemented in industrial devices, there is still an ongoing need to develop new anti-tampering paradigms. The present invention satisfies the foregoing need and provides related advantages as well.